Alberta-born journalist Amanda Lindhout is sharing her story with some students at Grant MacEwan University Tuesday evening. The Sylvan Lake native was kidnapped while on a freelance assignment in Somalia on August 23, 2008.
She was ambushed and taken hostage along with Nigel Brennan, a freelance Australian photojournalist, and Abdifatah Mohammed Elmi, a Somali journalist, as the trio made their way to a refugee camp near Mogadishu.
Elmi was released in January 2008 after spending 146 days in captivity.
Lindhout and Brennan were released on November 25, 2009 after their families were forced to pay ransom to their kidnappers that reportedly was around the half million dollar mark.
Since her release, Lindhout has launched a foundation that helps to fund the education of Somalian women. Lindhout is focusing her public speaking efforts on empowering women in Somalia. Lindhout's speech is part of MacEwan's Global Awareness Week.
Last spring, Lindhout said her recovery process has been lengthy. She said at that time, her body was still suffering the effects of malnutrition.
